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Post by goodvedderbest on Jan 11, 2007 20:04:13 GMT -5
Just wanting an opinion from anyone that has been to both festivals. I see that Coachella is more an indie rock thing, but I wanted to know more about the experience in general. I'm not sure anything can compare to my experience at 'Roo last year...but thought I might give it a chance. Looks like less people camp, which seems like a major bummer to me. That's half the fun, IMO!
Also is there any decent message board set up for Coachella like this one for 'Roo? I can't find anything out there this good, and this active.
Sorry to post this here, but I figured you guys would be better than anyone else for helping me out!
I did Roo in '05 and Coachella in '04 and '06 (plus probably 'Roo in '07). I love them both, but they are different. For this post, I'm ignoring the bands themselves as they are different for everyone's tastes. The average Coachella attendee is 10 years younger than at 'Roo.
Coachella pros:
- Gorgeous desert setting, mountains, palm trees awesome sunsets - Clean, flat camping area on lush grass - Guaranteed good weather (90+ degrees and low humidity) and no mud - Dedicated dance tent (if you're into that) - More bands per stage per hour (if you like quantity) - Water only $2 - Awesome Bloody Mary/Mexican breakfast buffet ('06 at least)
Bonnaroo pros:
- Full length artist sets - No midnight end time - Four days! - Drink anywhere (not just in the beer gardens) - No campsite alcohol ban - Ample free water that didn't taste too bad - Shakedown Street
Things I like about both:
- Cool art, sideshows and other non-musical attractions - Relaxed vibe, no fights or bad atmosphere - Good stage layouts, reasonably spread out, but not impossible to roam around them all - Good stage visibility (though Coachella's tents are probably bigger) and sound - Plenty of good veggie food choices (if you happen to be a veggie)
but it's due to move soon, I guess before their lineup comes out, which is usually within a week or two of 'Roo.
Whatever you do, have a blast!
Colin
EDIT: Yes, you're right, less people camp onsite. There are a lot of off site campers (no booze ban) but they have to get back in line in the morning. Being close to Palm Springs there's also a ton of hotels but they get booked up fast. I'm with you though on the camping deal...
I was trying to stay on the positive side but yes, there are cons to both:
Coachella has no re-entry between the festival and the campground, while 'Roo has parts of the campground that are reported to be a 45 minute walk from the gate.
Coachella's proximity to LA brings in a lot of fashionistas more concerned about how they look than the music, while 'Roo has amazing long entry lines.
I really can't find too many negatives because I've had a blast every time at both fests.
Colin, hit the nail on the head with the differences between the two. I have been to Coachella in 2004 and 2005 and Roo in 2004 and 2006. After getting past the differences in the bands (I usually like the Coachella line-ups better, I hope that they bring in more djs this year at the Roo), the experiences are pretty different. Now, I have never camped at Coachella, because that is probably not the best way to go about it. Most people get hotels at Coachella. We stayed at the Date Tree Best Western both times (probably the nicest hotel but most pricey in Indio). That hotel definitely caters to the chella crowd with hourly buses to the site, they give you a bunch of stuff about the festival as you are checking in, and they even played Meeting people is Easy (Radiohead doc) on the TV on a loop the year that Radiohead played. So even at the hotel you know that you are all about the festival.
But this does not give you the same experience as the roo, due to the "24" hour feel of it. At the Roo you are pretty much Rooing out for three/four straight days, with 80,000-90,000 people. At Coachella, you have 40,000 fans each day that go to the festival stay for 8-12 hours and then go back to their hotel, and restart each day. Now the average Coachella festival goer probably smells better and and are a little more concerned about their appearance, but sometimes they are just too hipster and are not there for the music as much. Although I do have to say that the no re-entry policy made it so that I saw way more bands at Coachella than the Roo, because once you are in you are in. I am hoping that switching to VIP I will be able to see more bands at the Roo this year, but still have all the accessibility to the RV and be able to get cheaper drinks, food, etc. Which will be the best of both worlds.
I don't want to crap on Coachella too much because I have had a great time there. It is very well run festival, with plenty of great things about it. The Pixies, into Radiohead, into Kraftwerk was an amazing experience in 2004, and seeing Arcade Fire playing as the sun was going down with Palm Trees and Mountains behind them in 2005 then wandering over to hear DJ Krush play an amazing set, into some NIN, then to hear Roni Size blow it up in the Dance Tent was almost more memorable then the year before.
However, although the scenery, music (this is obviously debatable), shorter bathroom lines, might give coachella an edge, the community feel, longer sets, and the non-stopness of Bonnaroo makes it a better festival. I have had a great time at both, but I have already set my plans this year to go to the Roo and I will only go to Coachella if they get someone way out of the box like Boards of Canada. However, some of this has to do with the fact that I live in Atlanta (3.5 hour drive to Bonnaroo compared to a 4 hour flight to Coachella)
I have camped both times but I have two more unusual items (a) I barely drink so late night partying isn't a deal for me and (b) I go solo so the camping option gets you much more opportunity to meet folks.
If you go to the gallery at www.coachella.com, you'll see pics of the camping as well as the site.
Post by goodvedderbest on Jan 16, 2007 12:53:54 GMT -5
Thanks for the help everyone. I wonder if Coachella's sets will be extended this year since they've added another day to the schedule? I really hope this is the case. Coachella's early end times are also a bummer. Oh well. I've also seen multiple conflicting reports regarding bringing water in at Coachella. Some people say it's allowed, others say it isn't. I'm very thankful that they allow bottled water to be brought in at 'Roo, I was sucking it down last year in the heat.
Technically you can't bring water into Coachella, even in sealed bottles, but the searches are inconsistent. People bitch at the promoters about it, but apparently it's not their rule, it's the local authorities. Bottled water is only $2 - I go for the Gatorade though, it's perfect for rehydration and $3.
There's free water also, but not enough spigots and long lines.
I'm sorry, but Bonnaroo is far superior to Coachella in more ways than one. napydred hit it on the head. Bonnaroo isn't as uptight as Coachella, and that makes a world of a difference for the experience as a whole. Coachella might have more bands and a great location, but Bonnaroo has soul and a sense of community.
Not to mention beer in the campgrounds, (for the most part) the mellow security, Shakedown, the great vibes from everyone in the festival, and the great vibes from the nice people of Manchester.
While musically Coachella is more my thing, (I'm not into jam bands) the Bonnaroo experience is much more fun. Coachella is just like going to a two day concert, where Bonnaroo becomes a city / community for a week.
but yes, there are cons to both:
